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A call for freshly made lunch boxes drew Anthy’s attention away from the empty rails. She had only arrived at the outdoor train station moments before, and she had been so busy taking in her surroundings that food hadn’t even occurred to her before then. Chuchu squeaked from her shoulder as his little stomach rumbled. Anthy chuckled. “Alright, but only one for each of us,” she gently chided the tiny monkey as she patted his head. Chuchu chirred with a smile. Anthy walked over to the woman wearing a kimono and holding a case of neatly packed boxes.
As Anthy conversed with the lunch seller and the sale was made, the seller asked, “So where are you heading today?”
Anthy peaked inside one of the lunch boxes, spotting beautifully arranged vegetables, meatballs, and rice. She smiled at the seller. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Ah, the adventurous type,” the seller replied with a nod. “Not many of those anymore, with everyone bustling from work to home to work again. Be sure to make the most of that freedom while you have it!”
Anthy nodded. “Thank you for your advice, ma’am.”
As there was still no sign of a train, Anthy took the lunches to a nearby bench instead of continuing to stand. Chuchu devoured every scrap of the food in the box she had given him in moments, while Anthy took her time eating. She really wanted to watch her sunlit surroundings, after all. The lunch seller had mentioned a lot of bustling, but at that moment the station was empty save for a handful of people milling about. Perhaps it was because it was afternoon, before people were done with school or work? Such were her thoughts with each bite of the food arranged in her disposable tray. If that were the case, it was a miracle anyone was here at all, either to wait for the train or for the lunch seller to sell lunches to. The quiet was nice, at least.
A man walked past her holding a slim piece of paper. Anthy took note of the paper; it had to be a ticket. Come to think of it, she hadn’t found any ticket seller booths when she arrived. Where could she get a ticket from? She idly fingered her pink skirt. After another scan of the area, Anthy spotted a couple of girls leaning over a tall box and poking at it. There were a couple of those around, and they seemed to be machines. “C’mon, Chuchu.” Anthy scooped up the overstuffed monkey into her hands and gathered up the empty trays. “Let’s get our ticket.”
Once she disposed of the empty trays, Anthy carried her suitcase and Chuchu to the ticket dispensing machine. Anthy tilted her head towards one shoulder. The machine bore a screen on it, with green rectangles standing out from a blue background. Anthy poked one of the rectangles labeled ‘Buy One Way Ticket’, but when the list of possible locations appeared, she froze. The only thought on her mind had been leaving. Now she had to figure out where she was going.
“Need some help?” a young voice asked beside her.
Anthy looked over her shoulder. One of the girls that had been standing at another ticket dispenser was now there; her short red hair was half pulled back by a blue bow that matched her pleated skirt and sailor collar. Something about her reminded Anthy of Utena’s clingy friend Wakaba, and Anthy gave the girl a stiff smile. “I simply forgot which station is at the end of this line.”
“There’s a map up on the wall!” the girl said, pointing at a wall. “Which way are you heading?”
Anthy hummed thoughtfully, looking to study the map of lines and names. This was clearly a juncture for more than one train path, something she hadn’t known before now. “Far away from Ohtori Academy,” was her only reply.
The girl nodded. “That’s the blue line, then!”
Anthy nodded, her shoulders relaxing with her smile. “Thank you, kindly.” Now she confidently selected the place name that was at the end of the blue line on the map. Chuchu perched himself on Anthy’s suitcase as he watched the redhead girl join her friend, another girl with long blonde ponytails. Anthy herself stopped giving the two any mind, however, as she paid for and collected her ticket. The first step had been leaving. Now she was going somewhere with a name and a place.
A sleek passenger train entered the yard, and Anthy ensured she was the first one to board. At first she eyed a seat at the back of the train car, sitting next to one of the doors. But then a sunny window seat caught her attention, and she sidled over there instead. Her suitcase she held on her lap, and she watched other passengers enter with her default pleasant smile. For once, it didn’t feel like an act to smile and act pleasant. Everyone was keeping their distance from each other, sitting in seats far apart save for a handful that boarded with another friend, so she didn’t feel crowded or cornered.
Old and young, formal and casual in dress, content and malcontent in mannerism--a variety of people were on the train with her as it pulled away from the station. So many faces of different shapes and styles, and none of them were familiar to her.
That thought she tugged back carefully and crossed across her mind again. None of them were familiar to her, and she was unfamiliar to all of them.
No one knew her.
For once in her life, she was among people and none of them knew her.
Anthy turned to Chuchu, the little monkey curled up on her suitcase. “Isn’t it wonderful to be an unknown among the crowd?” she asked him with a bright smile. “Being known is such a burden!”
“What’re you yapping about?” grumbled a wrinkled old man sitting across the aisle.
“I’m sorry for disrupting you!” Anthy called over to the man with her most winning smile, completely insincere in her apology. Instead, she grinned as she watched the scenery pass out of her window. It was all so green and lush, without a trace of towers or telescopes, without a single rose garden or gate in sight. With no one’s expectations lingering over her, she had all the time she had never before dreamed of to explore the outside world.
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It was a beautiful sunset that glittered orange a white across the pond. Anthy walked on the bank, swinging her suitcase from hand to hand as her thoughts wandered and Chuchu skittered from shoulder to shoulder. The delicious hues of this sunset certainly appealed more to the eye and heart than the blood red sunsets of Ohtori from the tower. That was the only thought she had had of Ohtori since disembarking from the train, and she readily tossed the name aside with that very thought.
A click and a whir caught her ear. Anthy turned. Laying on his stomach among the grass was a young man in blue jeans and a grass-colored sweater, a cloud of red hair atop his head nearly ready to float away in the billowing growth of a breeze. He held a camera with a massive lens, one hand holding the body of the camera up to his eye and the other steadying the lens. He turned the lens, and after a few clicks turned it the other way.
Head cocked in curiosity, Anthy approached the prone young man. “How does laying down change your pictures?” she asked.
“Huh?!” His head bolted upright and snapped to her. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there!” He chuckled as he moved to his feet. “Kneeling or laying down gives me a different angle than if I take a picture standing up. Do you want to see the difference?”
“I would love to,” Anthy replied, tilting her head the other way with a sincere smile.
Standing beside her, the redhead young man tapped an arrow button on the camera. The image on the small screen changed between two different pictures of the sunset. “You can see by the angle of the water and the location of the clouds how they’re different, right?”
Anthy nodded. Chuchu scampered down her arm and cooed with awe as he leaned an inch away from the screen. The young photographer continued to explain how changing his own position, even from the same spot, changed how dynamic or linear a shot was, and how it made shadows more or less impactful. Anthy soon turned from studying the screen to watching the young man’s face with a smile. “You really are passionate about your hobby,” she commented.
“Well, I’ve been interested in photography since I was little,” he replied. “There’s been a lot of time to find the passion for it.”
Chuchu poked the camera and cooed again, then clapped happily.
The photographer laughed. “Your pet there really likes the pictures.”
“Chuchu likes anything new and interesting.” Anthy chuckled. “Well, not nearly as much as he loves food, but quite close.”
Grinning, the young man moved his camera back to himself. “Do you mind if I take a picture of the two of you?”
Anthy looked at Chuchu. The little monkey cheered and swung around her wrist from his tail. Anthy relaxed, then nodded to the young man. “Go right ahead.”
Once he held the camera up to his face, the young photographer ended up taking more than one picture. Anthy more or less stood still with the same pleasant smile. Chuchu constantly moved up and down her arm, posing and flapping his ears. With the last picture, he perched on her shoulder and pumped his tiny fist in a victory pose. That prompted Anthy’s lips to part in a wider grin.
With the impromptu photo session done, the young man thanked Anthy, then looked to the sunset. “I’m almost out of light for today’s sunset pictures, anyways.”
Anthy picked up her suitcase again. “I’m sorry if I made you lose light by distracting you.”
“No need for an apology; it’s great!” The photographer grinned. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to have such an interesting pair of photo subjects!” He gestured between Anthy and Chuchu, the latter squealing with delight.
As the photographer placed his camera and equipment into a sturdy black bag, Anthy asked, “Where did you get your camera?”
“I saved up for this one for years.” The photographer patted the bag, then slung it over his shoulder. “I started off with a little handheld film camera, then moved up and up over the years as my skills improved.” He regarded her with curiosity. “Are you interested in photography?”
“Ah, well…” Anthy tugged a thumb at her lower lip, considering how much she wanted to tell this redhead stranger. “I’m going to be traveling a lot, and I want to take pictures of all the places I go.”
“Oh! Then a camera as big as mine would probably be a bit much for travel, at least for casual pictures,” he replied, a bit sheepish. “But tell you what! Lemme just…” He fished in the outer pocket of his camera bag and pulled out a small card. “Here!” He held it out to her. “The address for a shop here in town. The guy that runs it--his name is right there--sells all kinds of cameras, both film and digital. He can help you figure out what kind of camera would suit you best.”
Anthy took the card in both hands. “Thank you very much.” She gave him a quick bow. “I appreciate your help.”
The photographer waved off her words. “Anything to help people capture their memories! Just tell him that Kijin Shinokawa sent you, and he’ll set you up right.”
Unfortunately, when Anthy found the shop that evening, she arrived long after closing hours. She resolved to return the next day as soon as it opened. She stood alone that next morning, just her with her suitcase and Chuchu, a relatively strange sight, she decided, based on all the sidelong glances people on the street gave her. At least the owner of the camera shop was all smiles and friendly words when he saw her and showed her various display models. Soon enough, as the photographer promised, Anthy walked out with her perfect camera--a little silver rectangle of a digital camera and a hip case to carry it in.
Returning to the park, Anthy turned the camera lens towards herself and fumbled to press the shutter button with her thumb. Chuchu lay on her head when she snapped the picture, then rolled around as she practiced a few more times. Anthy laughed when she viewed the results on the back screen. So many of them were tilted or out of focus, it was a miracle she could tell that she was the subject of the photos. She deleted the worst of them and smiled fondly at the few remaining pictures there were. Utena would like these. The pink-haired girl always seemed to glow whenever Anthy smiled like that.
Anthy held the camera to her chest over her beating heart. She would like pictures of Utena, too. Better than that, she could use this camera to take pictures of the two of them without having to crop out any unwanted figures. She watched the sky, uncaring of the stares she drew from others around her, thinking only of the future that lay before her.
That next night, as Anthy sat on the bed in a hotel room, she took out the only framed picture she had of herself and Utena. “I’ll replace the picture with a better one,” she said softly to herself as to not wake Chuchu. “And when I see you again, I’ll have so much to tell you about my journey between here and there… and a thousand pictures of that journey to show you, too.”